The Weeknd is reportedly spending millions of his own dollars to make his Super Bowl LV halftime show memorable.
His manager Wassim ‘Sal’ Slaiby told Billboard the Canadian singer put up $7 million U.S. to “make this halftime show be what he envisioned.” (The NFL and show sponsor Pepsi cover production costs.)
The Weeknd did not share any details about his performance on Feb. 7 in Tampa but said: “We’ve been really focusing on dialing in on the fans at home and making performances a cinematic experience, and we want to do that with the Super Bowl.”
Contrary to some reports this week, The Weeknd’s halftime show will not be longer than previous ones. Gamblers are placing bets on his performance, including whether he will be joined by special guests like Ariana Grande.
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Elsewhere in the interview, the Toronto native shared his reaction to being shut out of the Grammy nominations. (At the time, The Weeknd tweeted: “The Grammys remain corrupt. You owe me, my fans and the industry transparency…”)
“I use a sucker punch as an analogy,” he told Billboard. “Because it just kind of hit me out of nowhere. I definitely felt ... I felt things. I don’t know if it was sadness or anger. I think it was just confusion. I just wanted answers. Like, ‘What happened?’ We did everything right, I think.
“I’m not a cocky person. I’m not arrogant. People told me I was going to get nominated. The world told me. Like, ‘This is it; this is your year.’ We were all very confused.”
The Weeknd insisted he’s over it. “I have three Grammys, which mean nothing to me now, obviously,” he said. “It’s not like, ‘Oh, I want the Grammy!’ It’s just that this happened, and I’m down to get in front of the fire, as long as it never happens again.
“I suck at giving speeches anyways. Forget awards shows.”